Tropical Storm Lala continues to strengthen in the Pacific and forecasters warn that it could soon become the first hurricane to strike Hawaii‘s Big Island in modern history.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) updated Lala’s path and severity Friday morning, warning that the storm will likely make landfall at hurricane strength early Saturday morning.
This would mark the first hurricane since accurate weather records began being kept in the 20th century to hit Hawaii’s Big Island.
AccuWeather Meteorologist Jesse Ferrell said in a statement: ‘A hurricane has never made landfall on the Big Island.’
‘Tropical Storms Darby in 2016 and Iselle in 2014 are the only tropical storms to ever make landfall on Hawaii’s Big Island.’
NHC upgraded their alert to an official Hurricane Warning for the Big Island (Hawaiʻi Island), and also issued Tropical Storm Watches for all of Maui County, which includes the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe.
Lala currently has sustained winds of 60 mph and is expected to begin impacting the state Friday afternoon, delivering potentially dangerous wind gusts and rain.
Once the storm arrives on Saturday, AccuWeather’s worst-case scenario warns that parts of the Big Island could see up to 30 inches of rain, deadly flash flooding and mudslides, wind gusts reaching 100 mph and ocean surges approaching six feet.
Tropical Storm Lala (Pictured) is projected to become a hurricane be as early as August 14, threatening to become the first hurricane to make landfall on Hawaii’s Big Island
The National Weather Service projected that Tropical Storm Lala will become a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday, right before making landfall in Hawaii
The heaviest rainfall and wind damage is expected to impact the eastern side of the Big Island, however, forecasters now predict that the entire island chain will see at least two to four inches of rain this weekend, with isolated spots seeing eight inches.
AccuWeather predicted that Lala will be a Level 2 out of 5 on their ‘Real Impact’ scale for rating hurricane damage.
This means the storm will likely cause wind damage to small buildings and trees, power outages and significant property damage in coastal communities.
AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva warned that the oncoming storm closely resembles Hurricane Hone, which brought severe flooding and dangerous winds to the island paradise in 2024.
‘Despite never making landfall in Hawaii, Hone brought more than two feet of rain to portions of the Big Island, causing significant flooding, as well as winds in excess of 70 mph,’ DaSilva said in a statement.
The only other hurricane believed to have made landfall on the island was the 1871 Kohala Cyclone but there are only unconfirmed reports from local newspapers documenting the extreme weather event.
This is a breaking story. More details to follow.
Hawaii’s Big Island and Maui are expected to take the most severe damage from Tropical Storm Lala
The island of Maui (Pictured) is under a Tropical Storm Watch as Lala approaches Hawaii
